Agulto wins international film award

Longtime local filmmaker Ando Agulto recently won the Impact Award at an international film festival in Tahiti for his work on "The Canoe is the Future.” He sits down with Marianas Press to discuss the film and what the recognition means to him.

The award is given to the project that the judges believe has the most power to create real-world social and cultural change.

According to Agulto, the film "follows Master Carver Tony Piailug, the son of the legendary Master Navigator 'Papa Mau' Piailug, and his lead apprentice, John Castro. The film isn't just about building a canoe; it’s about resilience. We survived two super typhoons in 2015 and 2018, and then a devastating fire in 2021 that turned years of work into charcoal. The documentary captures how we rose from those ashes to build a 'Phoenix' canoe, all while trying to reclaim our seafaring identity and reconnect with our brothers and sisters across the Pacific."